There has always been something intrinsically intimate about chamber music. To watch in wonderment as a trio, quartet or sextet of wildly talented individuals dance through scores of classical music, improvising off one another with a simple look, tell or flick of the wrist. It’s a magical experience, to be able to ensconce oneself in something so immediate, so visceral, in a small, tightly packed space.

That magic is coming to Sarasota next weekend, with the inaugural Suncoast Composer Festival featuring events open to the public on October 4, 5 and 7. The festival is a component of Soundbox Venture’s Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program (SCFP), a private residency for emerging composers to learn and work with world class mentors, performers and recording artists. “The idea of SCFP is actually manyfold. It’s at once a sort of artist residency, it’s also a series of concerts that we’re putting on at the festival. At the same time it's also an educational program. The idea is that artists today, typically when they go play a concert or festival, they’re considered seasoned pros, they’re traveling and bringing programs they’ve prepared,” says violinist Max Tan, founder and artistic director of Soundbox Ventures. “We’re doing something a little different. We find that often the framework for musicians to grow and develop their craft relies a lot on generational knowledge being passed on down from senior artists to younger ones. We wanted to help artists of similar generations find each other.”

This year’s festival will feature a flurry of different types of events around Sarasota, including classical and chamber music concerts as well as seminar talks. On Friday, October 4, Tan, who is a Perlman Music Program alumnus and performs with the Sarasota Orchestra, will lead a free seminar talk at the Selby Library followed by a performance from SCFP musicians of Johannes Brahms’ “Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115”. On Saturday, two intimate chamber music concerts will be presented at a “chateau” in South Poinsettia Park–the location known only to those who purchase tickets–and will feature music from composer mentor-in-residence Marc Migo Cortes, Francis Poulenc, Maurice Ravel and more. On Monday, the festival will culminate in The Composer Fellows Concert at First Congressional United Church of Christ.

October 4 - 7, soundboxventures.org/scfp2024-2

Pictured: Composer faculty Marc Migó with artistic director Max Tan and pianist Baron Fenwick in an open rehearsal during the 2024 Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program. Photo by Sophia Szokolay.

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From Broadway to comedy, music to dance, family fun and more, the lineup includes something for everyone. Hit shows like Moulin Rouge! – The Musical, Beetlejuice, Billy Ocean, Matteo Boccelli, and Leslie Jones will grace the Van Wezel stage for the first time, while returning favorites Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Yacht Rock Revue, and Les Misérables return due to popular demand. Visit VanWezel.org for a full list of shows. Tickets on sale now! 

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The Hermitage Artist Retreat today announced three additional programs as part of its robust fall season. Newly announced events include a beach program featuring Grammy Award nominee Allison Loggins-Hull and award-winning author Jamila Minnicks on Friday, October 4 on the Hermitage Beach; a special look inside the creative process with Hermitage Artistic Director and CEO Andy Sandberg with the Royal Palm Players in Boca Grande on November 11; plus Hermitage-Roundabout Fellow Alex Lin and Hermitage Major Theater Award finalist and UK playwright Sam Steiner at New College of Florida’s Theater Department on November 21. 

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In her third year as Artistic Director of the acclaimed La Musica Chamber Music Festival. Wu Han has announced an exciting new season of winter concerts with an additional concert in January, and a much-anticipated chamber festival in the spring. The following is an overview of season highlights, a chronological concert schedule and ticket information. Under Wu Han’s direction, the Festival will present a stellar roster of over two dozen performing artists. The line up includes soprano Vanessa Becerra; guitarist Jason Vieaux; pianists Wu Han, Soyeon Kate Lee, Juho Pohjonen and Orion Weiss; violinists Aaron Boyd, Chad Hoopes, Paul Huang, Kristin Lee, Julian Rhee and Danbi Um; violist Milena Pájaro-Van de Stadt; and cellists Dmitri Atapine, David Finckel and Clive Greensmith. 

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Enjoy a delicious lunch in our world-class bayfront setting and a fascinating discussion with Kassia St. Clair, author of The Secret Lives of Color, together with David Berry, Selby Gardens' Vice President for Visitor Engagement and Chief Museum Curator, and Angel Lara, Vice President for Botanical Horticulture. The conversation will delve into the history of color pigments and dyes, as well as the cultural associations of purple and its many botanical connections. Kassia St. Clair will be signing copies of her book, The Secret Lives of Color, which will be available for sale at the luncheon.Purple attire is encouraged! 

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Project 24 Climbing slated to bring new adventures to Lakewood Ranch in 2025, September 2024.

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